ST4 Tech Explorations - Teacher Online Orientation

			Teacher Orientation Getting Started with the ST4 Project Introductions: Please visit the Contact Us page to meet the team that is making all this possible. Project Overview: Please visit the About page to learn more about the project and how it is being supported.
			Icebreaker
			Like all of our face-to-face workshops, we like to have an activity where everyone has the chance to meet and learn something about one another. Online is no different so let's get started with our icebreaker activity. Since we will eventually be working in a game-based learning management system that uses quests to deliver content, we are going to go with a quest theme for the icebreaker. To make it fun and interesting we will use the following Merriam-Webster.com's definition to define quest for this activity: "a chivalrous enterprise in mediaval romance usually involving an adventurous journey." Step 1: What is your quest in life (a quest that you are willing to share)? Step 2: Post a sticky note on the wall below with the following information: your first name only and your quest in life. To post a sticky note double click on on the "board." Step 3: Read sticky notes posted by other participants.

			Gamification
			What is or isn't gamification? You may have heard a lot about gamification and digital badges for learning lately or maybe you have been out of the loop playing Angry Birds. Either way, gaming in education is a hot topic right now and one of the reasons we have chosen a game-based learning management system to deliver most of the content for the ST4 project. The main decision for using the learning management system was based on pedagogy. The ST4 Project Director saw potential in the environment to easily demonstrate and create design-based learning (learning that uses the engineering design process). So what exactly is gamification and why should you care? Please read the article: "This Game Sucks": How to Improve the Gamification of Education by Sarah "Intellagirl" Smith-Robbins This Game Sucks.pdf Details Download 545 KB

			Introducing 3D GameLab

			Trailer created by the designers of 3D GameLab: How does it work?


			Loading... If you are not getting the answers you need, please email us at dianne.mckee@domail.maricopa.edu until we get you introduced to our other communication tools and forms of help. Your First Quest in 3DGameLab Step 1: Watch your email for the Invitation from 3DGamelab. Follow the steps in the email to set up your account. You will be asked to create a gamer tag, or name. Be creative, and don't use any part of your real name! It can reflect the topic you teach, a hobby or just something fun. Step 2: To get started, you must learn the basics of the Dashboard. Your avatar and gamer tag are displayed at the top while your gamer score is displayed on the right. Along the left side you can see that you have been enrolled and are a member of the group, ST4STEM. Right under your avatar and gamertag are the quest navigation buttons: Available, In Progress, and Completed. Don't worry about uploading an Avatar yet, there's a quest that will walk you through that process. Step 3: Are you ready to begin your first quest? Click on the Available button to access your first quest. You should see the "Start at Wikispaces" quest in your 3DGameLab window. In this view you can see the Quest Name, XP, Average Time, Rating, Category and Due Date for the quest. Step 4: The next step is to "Start" the Quest. Click on the name of the quest to view more about the quest and access the Start Quest button. From here you can also View Details to learn more about the quest. Click on Start Quest and you're ready to begin. Step 5: Read through the quest and follow the instructions to complete the quest. For the "Start at Wikispaces" quest all you need to do is verify that you've completed the activities on this page. Click on the Complete button. Step 6: Follow the instructions in the Submission Box to complete the quest. For this quest, type TEACHER in the box, then click the Submit button and you're all done! Some quests (like this one) require verification. It may take up to 48 hours before you have a new quest available to you in 3DGameLab. Be patient and check back again to see if you have new quests. Congratulations, you have completed orientation! Now it's time to get back to where the real fun takes place, in 3D GameLab!